Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America

Throughout this collection, Lalami presents interactions with Americans who seem to be unaware of global issues, even those that are present and relevant in American society. In “Faith,” Lalami brings up the example of a woman at one her book readings asking about ISIS, a topic that is not relevant to a discussion of her book The Moor’s Account, which takes place in the 16th century. Though Lalami laments that she needs to educate people on this issue simply because she is an Arab, she takes this opportunity to address the matter with her audience. This instance reflects a dominant theme in the text of Americans’ lack of global awareness. Lalami establishes that due to global hegemony, or dominance, Americans have the privilege to ignore or overlook the affairs of marginalized groups, both internationally and within the US. This lack of global context also leads to individuals like Lalami being viewed as representatives of their identity group, shifting a burden of explanation onto the individual without acknowledging the vast differences among individuals in any race, ethnicity, nationality, or gender.

In noting that her anecdote takes place in Arizona, Lalami recounts that the founder of ISIS, Ahmed al-Khalaylah, lived under an oppressive Jordanian regime that was supported by the US. This pushed him into Al-Qaeda, which at that time was receiving aid and arms from foreign countries, including the US, and then into Syria. Lalami holds her audience to account, commenting that as Americans, they can vote, and George W. Bush, who instigated the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, won the vote in Arizona, even after starting those two wars. Notably, the contrast that Lalami presents between the issues in the Middle East and the vote in Arizona intends to demonstrate that Arizonans do not know about al-Khalaylah, or any other leaders in the Middle East. She frames the argument in terms of Americans’ tendency to shirk responsibility for foreign issues when they vote, noting the high percentage of US voters who make their decisions based on a single issue and do not engage with global concerns. Thus, she presents votes cast for Bush as rooted in privilege since most Americans do not understand the role that the US plays in foreign affairs or demonstrate an interest in it.

This issue of inaction and disengagement also underlies Lalami’s discussions of border control, sexism, and even the census. She notes the disparities between the northern and southern borders of the US; the border with Mexico is most heavily guarded, but many of the most dangerous drugs enter the country via the northern border with Canada. In her discussion of the Kavanaugh and Thomas Supreme Court hearings, Lalami notes that many spectators ask why the women alleging sexual assault and harassment did not come forward sooner; she attributes this to an ignorance of women’s issues and the treatment of female accusers within the country. Likewise, by bringing up the confusing requirements of the US census, in which both Lalami and her friends of Arab descent must list themselves as either Black or white, she exposes an institutional disconnect from the diverse range of ethnicities that exist under these broad categories. Lalami notes that across all these issues, lack of awareness of other cultures leads white male society to seek explanations from individual members of a group to account for the actions of everyone who shares their race, ethnicity, gender identity, or other point of identity, rather than recognizing the diversity of experiences and political viewpoints that exist within each category.